Santorum's Pennsylvania support in decline

Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania

Colby ItkowitzCall Washington Bureau

In just a month, Pennsylvania Republican voters have shied away from their former U.S. senator Rick Santorum in favor of frontrunner Mitt Romney, signaling Santorum is in serious danger of losing his home state on April 24.

Pennsylvanians may end Santorum's political career. Again.

Santorum and Romney are now statistically tied at 30 percent to 28 percent support respectively among the state's registered GOP primary voters, according to a poll released by Franklin & Marshall College Wednesday. It's a shocking shift from Santorum's commanding 45 percent to 16 percent lead over Romney when F&M polled Republicans in February.

Then, about one-third of voters were looking for a candidate with a strong moral character. That has reduced to a quarter of voters with another quarter most interested in the candidate who can beat President Barack Obama.

Santorum splits the Catholic vote with Romney, but leads among born again Christians and low-income Republicans.

If there's any silver lining for Santorum it's that his favorability is still the highest among the presidential primary slate. Exactly 54 percent have a positive view of him compared to 46 percent who strongly or somewhat find Romney favorable.

Conventional wisdom is that if Santorum cannot win Pennsylvania, an important battleground state in November and the place where voters know him best, his presidential aspirations die. If Pennsylvania Republicans don't want him, why would the rest of the country?